Paul Howard Pittman was one of Mississippi’s most respected community newspaper editors, political commentators and media figures during a career that spanned more than three decades. As editor and publisher of the Tylertown Times, he built a small-town weekly into one of the most honored newspapers in the state and became an influential voice on Mississippi politics and public affairs.
Born March 13, 1931, in Tylertown, Pittman began his newspaper career while still in high school, working as sports editor of the Tylertown Times. After attending Copiah-Lincoln Junior College, he transferred to the University of Mississippi, where he served as editor of the student newspaper, The Mississippian, and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1952.
Following service in the U.S. Navy during and after the Korean War, Pittman returned home and purchased the Tylertown Times in 1957. He would serve as its editor and publisher for more than 25 years, producing what was widely regarded as one of the nation’s finest community newspapers.
Under Pittman’s leadership, the Times won the Mississippi Press Association’s General Excellence Award for weekly newspapers an extraordinary 10 consecutive years. Though rooted firmly in the community he served, Pittman developed a reputation that extended far beyond Walthall County. He covered national political events, interviewed prominent political leaders and became known for introducing himself as being with “the Times,” only later revealing that he meant the Tylertown Times rather than The New York Times.
During the civil rights era, Pittman used his editorial voice to advocate tolerance and improvements in Mississippi’s public education system. In 1963, he began writing “Mississippi Outlook,” a weekly political column eventually carried by more than 45 newspapers across the state. He later published the monthly Paul Pittman Newsletter and became a familiar political analyst on Jackson television stations.
Pittman also taught journalism at the University of Southern Mississippi and expanded his involvement in community media by establishing WTYL, Tylertown and Walthall County’s first radio station, in 1969.
Deeply interested in politics as both a journalist and participant, Pittman helped organize Mississippi’s Young Democrats, supported John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign and worked in state political campaigns. He sought the Democratic nomination for Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District in 1972 before returning his focus to journalism and political commentary.
Pittman died unexpectedly on Sept. 2, 1983, at age 52. Three years later, he was named one of the inaugural members of the Mississippi Press Association Hall of Fame, recognition of a remarkable career devoted to community journalism, thoughtful political commentary and the enduring importance of a strong Mississippi press.
